Time's Up
by AsylumDoll21
Summary: A fresh start in a new town. It's just what she needed. Escaping the horrors of her past and taking a breathe of fresh air. Perhaps meeting a boy. Will he be able to melt our Heroine's heart? Or will her icy past damn them all. OCXStiles, rated M for violence and possible smut in the future.
1. Chapter 1

Beacon Hills. It was a supposedly quiet town. Everyone had their own private lives and when our car pulled up in front of the quiet little house surrounded by forest with a SOLD sign out front, I was hoping mine would begin soon.

When I was 12 years old, My mother was diagnosed with Fatal Familial Insomnia. It's a disease that is genetically passed on from the parent to the child. There was a 50% chance that I would have this disease when I was born, and when my mom was diagnosed they tested me as well. A year later she died and my dad and I were left to pick up the pieces of what was left of our shattered lives. But the worst part of it all wasn't that I had lost my mom. In her final months she wasn't the woman I knew all my life and she had become bitter and mean and scared. The worst part was after her passing. I was numb. I didn't shed a tear as the men in black suits picked her up off the floor in the bathroom. The blood was hard to clean but I spent hours doing so. When the funeral came around I had already turned 14 and the softly voiced apologies and condolences never really seemed all that heartfelt. But the absolute worst part, was watching my dad walk on eggshells around me. He would give me the world anyway, but it was like he went out of the way to make me feel loved and protected. It was beginning to stifle me. But I had a limited amount of time left. I wasn't going to deny him his daughter's time, especially when we had no idea how much was left.

So, we moved to Beacon Hills. He thought that a change of scenery would do us good. I agreed. I was tired of everyone I knew looking at me like I was a fragile little china doll about to break when the wind blew. He moved us thinking that a new school and a new life would be a good way to forget everything that had happened.

Now I'm 17 and I'm unpacking boxes from the moving truck in front of our new house. It's bigger than our last one, but only a little. It was a 2 bedroom farmhouse with a big front yard with a wraparound porch and a screen door. The front door was white with a crystal cut glass window. I opened it and the sunlight filtered through, casting rainbows on the ground. I stopped, setting down the box I was carrying and ran back to the car to pull my camera from my backpack. I lowered myself down onto the wooden floorboards of the deck and started snapping different angles. One of the pictures looked like the rainbows were in the shape of an hourglass. It was my favorite. I'd get the pictures uploaded on my laptop tonight and decide if they needed any editing then. My dad walked through the door way smiling to himself in that way he had. We had a shared love of photography. There was just something about seeing the perfect image that we were both intrigued with. Plus I had a small following on deviantart and photo bucket that was asking for the next update.

This was a clean start. No more pitying stares from my friends and people who knew of our misfortune. No more people telling me I should be more worried about the time I have left. And no one poking into my business about my disease. I took a deep breath of the fresh air all around me and let the scent of the pine trees soak into my very soul. I would remember this. No matter what comes in the future, even after death I would remember this moment. That feeling of being free. The feeling that I hadn't felt since before mom had been taken away from me, before I was told I would suffer the same fate, and before I was reminded of my death sentence by every pair of eyes that looked at me.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first few days we were busy with getting all of our things unpacked, but then my dad got my school paper work finalized and started getting calls in to work. He was lucky to have been able to move here. He's a neuro surgeon, one of the few who can successfully resection the Insular Glioma in someone's brain. With a skill like that, he could move anywhere he wanted and people would fly in to see him for consultations. I think that's part of why he took mom's death so hard. He couldn't do anything to save her even though it was his area of expertise.

I spent most of my time around the house straightening up or lazing around on the couch watching TV. The house came with cable, but we had yet to get the internet installation done. I guess my pictures would have to wait to be uploaded. It was a few weeks until school was going to start up so I decided to make the most of the downtime I had. I slept in, watched TV, planned my outfit for the first day… and then realized that the notion was ridiculous because I would change my mind at the last moment anyway. But at least it was something to do. I was starting to go stir crazy and I'd only been in the house alone for a day and a half. So I took a walk. My camera swung around my neck bumping my side gently as I trekked through our new homes backyard.

When my dad said there was a lot of space here I didn't think he meant that we lived at the edge of a massive forest with trees so dense that you could see the darkness looming out from its depths… but I was known for being a tad bit dramatic. The trees really weren't that bad. I had stepped into the border of the forest and the trees twisted their old branches upwards in a way that was wondrous to see. It was an old forest full of history and magic, these trees had been here for quite a while and it certainly seemed like they had a few secrets to whisper to anyone who would listen. I picked my camera up and snapped a few quick photos of the barely there sunshine as it filtered through the trees and into the dusty underbrush. I drug my foot around me in a circle and took a snapshot of the dust as it rose above my head. And for a moment I forgot where I was. The pictures were so beautiful in my own little world; I could only hope that someone else would feel how I did about them. I mean sure I got lots of positive feedback on my pics online, but mostly just people saying things like "wow!" or "that's really cool", Never anything about the subject or what their interpretation of it was. I needed someone to share this and I was sure that if I could just take the perfect photograph then it wouldn't need to be explained and all I'd have to do would be look proud of the amazing thing I had captured.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts and the smell and feel of my surroundings that I almost missed the flit of motion in the corner of my eye. I blinked and stared in its direction. It happened again, there was something moving out there. And then I realized that it was oddly quiet. I couldn't hear any birds chirping or the trees rustling, it was almost as if the entire forest was collectively holding it's breathe, waiting for something to happen. I turned and started back towards the house feeling a bit unnerved by the sudden silence. I couldn't explain that movement either. There was no sound made and it was as if I was seeing things… I startled to a stop when I realized that it was possible I was just seeing things… exactly like mom had. But that didn't make any sense. I had been sleeping soundly for the last few months and I hadn't been feeling tired at all…

Was it possible that I was showing signs of my curse this early on? I ran home and dropped my camera on my bed, rushed to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. Nothing seemed out of place, I was a little red in the cheeks from running, my hair was tousled and fell down my back in a curly tangled mess. My eyes were staring intensely back at me, searching for anything out of the ordinary. That was it! I was simply looking for a problem that didn't exist… yet. Maybe I was just alone for too long. Granted I liked being alone, but that didn't mean I didn't get bored. This must've been a product of my overactive imagination and it was simply a matter of getting out of the house more often.

So I texted my dad and let him know that I was going to go to a movie. He responded quickly saying there was some money in a drawer by the kitchen sink and that I could take it to grab snacks at the theater. When I looked there was about 40 dollars in random bills and change. I took $10 just to add to my own money and whatever was left would probably just go back into the drawer when I returned home. I went to the garage to grab my bicycle and started off down the road after locking up. The sun was still up and I was planning on catching a matinee showing of a new movie that was coming out, couldn't really choose between two different shows either, so I figured I'd have the ride there to think it over.

It was a longer trek than I had expected, but it was easy to get around. The streets in this town were clearly marked and it seemed like there was no end to the people that were willing to give directions… I say this because I had to stop 4 times to ask for help before I found the darn theater. I locked up my bike at the rack in front of the box office and stepped up to the window. There was a girl sitting there on her phone. At first she didn't seem to notice me but then I feigned a cough and she started up from the screen. She smiled and was very pleasant towards me, asking what she could help me with. I asked her opinion on the two movies since I hadn't even thought about it on my way through town. She said they were both good but one had more action and the other was more a romance… I went with the action movie. I just needed a distraction without all of the feeling mushy gushy. It was a good choice too. I was absolutely hooked. My friends back home would probably think it was a weird movie but that didn't matter to me. Besides, I love a good retelling of Frankenstein. Especially when it stars Aaron Eckhart. I was a nut ball for dark broody eyes, big shoulders, and the tough guy act. This is probably why I was 16 and had never had a boyfriend. It didn't bother me too much, I just had a standard that dorks and jocks just couldn't meet, that was all.

By the time I left the theater it was starting to get dark but the late summer heat was still heavy in the air. My hoodie was tied around my waist as I meandered through town looking at the small shops in the little touristy part of town. There were toys and knickknacks in the window here and on the other side of the street there was an ice cream shop. In a moment of weakness I stopped and went inside to peruse their selection. As far as ice cream went I didn't eat very much very often. But when I did it was always a new flavor. I had tried every flavor back home and pretty much every single one at the local gas station. But the flavors here were all new. So with the excitement of a small child, I ordered a small sugar cone with a single scoop of strawberry gold. I guess it was strawberry and honey with peanut clusters? All I knew is that it sounded really good. And I was right. I sat at a table out on the sidewalk with my cone and a napkin as I watched the sun set below the trees. When I was finished, I shrugged my hoodie back on and continued my ride home. Thinking about it, today had been a really good day! I hadn't seen any more signs of any insanity in myself and I had actually enjoyed the rest of my day out of the house.

I pulled up to the house well after dark and stopped short. There was a police car in front of the house along with my dad's truck. I quickly dropped my bike in the garage and hurried into the house. I heard voices coming from the kitchen and headed in their direction.

"Dad I'm home!" I announced loudly before entering the room. My dad was leaning against the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in his hand and a smile on his face. A smile I hadn't seen in a really long time. I relaxed and looked at the other man standing with him.

"Welcome home kid. This is sheriff Stilinsky. He came out to see if everything was going ok with the move." My dad gestured to the man in the uniform. He was older, like he had seen quite a few things in his time. I shook his hand with a smile and a nod.

"Well, I have to go. I should really be heading back to the station right about now anyway. I hope you and your daughter settle in. I'll check back in later. See you Richard," the sheriff said as he turned to leave. My dad waved goodbye as he walked out the front door closing it behind him.

"So who was that?" I asked. My dad had been so casual with him. My dad looked at me and smiled a little. "That was the sheriff. He's an old friend of your mother and I. I think his son is about your age." He raised an eyebrow at me in a way that told me he was being weird again.

"Well next time can you warn me when people are going to be over? The cruiser in the driveway nearly gave me a heart attack." I turned to start on the dishes before dinner when I heard my dad whisper under his breath, "yeah me too kiddo… Me too."


	3. Chapter 3

The days passed and I settled into the groove of being the one at the house and my dad really started getting busy at work. We were lucky to work so well together. My mom taught me that I had to take care of him. If he wasn't careful he was known to shave with toothpaste in the morning… so I did all the grocery shopping, the cleaning, and any house work that didn't require a power tool bigger than a drill. I made sure our household kept afloat in this crazy world we called home. it wasn't hard, dad didn't mind leftovers from the night before and I happened to be a good cook. I hadn't felt the need to go exploring in the woods anymore, and there were no more run ins with my invisible friend. I'd taken to calling that small twitch at the corner of my eye my friend in an attempt to make it seem less scary.

This morning I was sitting in the kitchen on one of the stools munching on a piece of toast and waiting for the electric kettle to finish boiling the water for tea. It was quiet and a bit early for me to be up, but instead of my alarm waking me up in an hour, nature decided to call me early. I zoned out as I stared at the blue led lights in the clear glass of the kettle, and I barely noticed as a car pulled up in the front drive. The knock at the door startled me and I scrambled off the stool and practically fell as I headed towards the door. I opened it quickly as the knocking got louder and stared as the two police officers stared back. It was sheriff Stilinsky and his deputy.

"Can we speak to your dad sweatheart?" he asked. His face was drawn taught and it looked like he was tired and frustrated on a level that would make even the most stressed out college student look like a pansy about finals. I didn't question him. I just stepped aside, opened the door and yelled for my dad. Luckily he was home at the time. He came running down the stairs in his navy blue bathrobe and those ridiculous lion slippers I had bought him when I was 8 for Christmas. let it be said that I was a fan of expressing yourself and doing what you wanted to do, but I had to stifle a giggle as he walked to greet the police with the bells jingling from the lion manes.

"Sheriff what can I do for you? It's still dark out. Is there an emergency?" my dad started rapid firing like he did when he was in the ER. The sheriff made a gesture with his hands to calm down and whispered something to my dad. They both looked at me and then stepped outside and shut the door. Well… I suppose I could've just gone about my business and gotten my tea and been done with it. Possibly even grilled my dad for details later. But I wasn't that kind of person. I ran up to my room and slowly opened the window. I felt like a spy on a covert mission to infiltrate enemy lines… before realizing that that was a ridiculous notion and I should really be listening to the conversation happening below me at that moment. It wasn't easy to hear over the sounds of birds and rustling leaves, but the snippets I got were beyond confusing. Words like urgent and attack were used. This morning… on our property… hunters?... something about someone getting hurt. It was too difficult to hear any more and the door had opened downstairs. I shut my window and rushed back to the kitchen pretending that I had been there the whole time making tea.

My dad hurried to his room upstairs and a few minutes later I saw him rush down the stairs wearing his jeans and a white t-shirt. Wow, he isn't even worried about looking professional today, I thought as he grabbed his coat and rushed to the door slamming it behind him. I smiled and almost made it to the count of four before the door re opened and he ran to collect his coffee cup from the counter next to me and say goodbye with a pat on my head. My smile faded as I watched the vehicles pull out of the driveway and speed towards town. What could've made dad leave the house this early with the sheriff and no suit? It was worth an investigation.

After I got showered and dressed for the day I looked for the non emergency phone number for the beacon hills sheriff's department and dialed. It was three rings when a young man picked up the phone. I asked for any information he might have on my address and whether or not there were some calls made about the area. He laughed and asked me if I'd been having wild parties and muttered about noise complaints. I half heartedly laughed with him. Despite this not being the emergency line I was still a little nervous about talking to a cop. I generally never spoke to someone with that much authority and it made me feel like I was under a microscope. He said that there was a small history of vandalism near the area several years ago but that nothing had happened recently. So I asked him about the woods near there. He said he'd double check before his voice became strained and he asked if I could hold. I said I would and suddenly there was strange piano music playing through the phone… sounded like a piano cover of a pop song… lady gaga? But before I had too much time to speculate about the judgment of the sheriff for his holding system or whatever, the young man returned. He told me that there had been an accident with a few hunters too close to some private property but that no other news was available to the public at the time. I thanked him and the line went dead.

Hunters had had problems on our property. And apparently someone had an injury. I wasn't sure if it was anything to do with someone's brain or not. My dad was a brilliant doctor. He just happened to be really good with brains. The thought made me smile again. At that point I was sure that whatever had happened would end up being fine. he was my super hero and even though he could be really annoying with his rules sometimes, we did pretty well with each other. I was being silly about all this. When dad got home I could just ask him what happened today. He knew that he didn't have to censor himself around me. It wasn't like much phased me anymore… not after mom died.

Hmm… well that was a dark thought. The sun shone through my window hitting a small stained glass humming bird and throwing green and red rainbows around my room. Besides, I thought to myself, school started in a few days and I was determined to have a good year.

My eyes went back to the screen of my phone. I was looking for a hair salon in the area that would do color jobs. As soon as I turned 17 my hair was mine to do with as I wanted, despite much whining from my dad. And I wanted it colorful. Oh yeah, it was my birthday tomorrow. I should look for a good restaurant for me and dad to go to if he could get the evening off. Nothing big, probably just a good burger place or something. Maybe Italian if I was feeling fancy.

That's when the text came in. it was from a number I didn't recognize. It read: "Hey don't worry about not knowing the number. This message is from your dad. He said he wouldn't be home tonight and so I' texting you to let you know… my name's Scott by the way. My mom is working with your dad today. She asked me to give you the message."

…

Well ok. I guess that made sense but it was still kind of creepy. I texted back: "Scott who? I know a few of my dad's coworkers, but I don't know their kids… sorry…"

I waited for a minute and it took what seemed like forever for this kid to text back.

"Scott McCall."

I replied; "ok thanks Scott. Your mom is Melissa right? That makes sense. She's really nice. She said you and I are the same age? Maybe I'll see you at school then." And with that I tossed my phone onto my bed and headed to my desk for some quality internet game time.


	4. Chapter 4

It was officially my birthday. I had considered myself 17 for the last couple of weeks because my family celebrated birthdays for the whole month. My grandma had started the tradition when my mom was little. Dad told me stories about how he used to think it was ridiculous, but after meeting my mom he slowly got used to it and he turned into a firm believer in the month of birthdays. It's nothing big. Sometimes it'll only be a few words of happy birthday every morning, and sometimes it's a series of small gifts. This year we had been so busy that we really didn't do anything, and really I was ok with having a normal birthday. It wasn't normal for me to have a birthday on the very first day of school, but today I guess I got lucky. I slept as late as I could before getting up and jumping into my favorite pair of torrid jeans and my oversized grey sweater that said pick your poison on the front. I twisted my hair into a low side ponytail and put my favorite blue colada lip gloss on with a small amount of eyeliner.

I wasn't sure what I was going for, but I was hoping that the slightly nerdy look my glasses were giving me would make me as cute as I felt. I wasn't exactly the most attractive person, but I had long gotten rid of that awkward uni-brow and the acne from my years loving greasy food in middle school. But the weight stuck with me and it wasn't coming off easily considering I was the type to eat my feelings. Yeah… that greasy food stint really didn't do me any favors. But this year I was going to take better care of myself and I told myself verbally that it was for me and never for a boy… but I also knew I was lying through my teeth.

So maybe on my birthday I would make a great first impression. One never knows. But I was dressed in my favorite clothes, had done my hair and make up… and my dad came barging in my room with the ugliest tie I had ever seen. It had pink Hawaiian flowers and orange sunbursts on it which I hated that tie since my mom brought it home from a gift shop in florida. He rushed up to me and wrapped it around my eyes. A small part of me wanted to rip it off, throw it in the corner and hiss at it but I knew that it was probably hurtful and better if I didn't do anything that might make my dad question my ability to handle public school.

So now I was ready for school… but my makeup might need a touch up and I was having a heart attack because my dad was leading me down the stairs, blindfolded and he still hadn't said anything. I was worried and suffering from a little bout of vertigo seeing as I wasn't seeing where I was going.

"Uhm… dad? Could you please tell me what's going on? I'm starting to get a little worried here." He just chuckled and kept walking me through the house. We took a left and stopped as my dad opened the front door and he gently pushed me onto the front porch and over to the left which is where I was pretty sure we put the porch swing. Suddenly the blindfold was removed from my eyes and there was something black silver and jingly in front of my face with the sun shining through it and literally blinding me. And as soon as my eyes adjusted to the light my entire world started spinning around me.

Sitting there in the driveway was a blue 2010 chevy camaro… I was stunned. The keys were jingled in front of my face again and I gave my dad a hard stare.

"Happy 17th birthday kiddo." My dad smiled and held out the key ring in front of me. There was a sterling silver key ring in the shape of a D with a small dragon wrapped around it. I almost started to cry and I grabbed my dad in the biggest hug I had ever given in my life. I ran back into the house, grabbed my school bag and ran back outside. I made a severe stumble through the front door and into the screen door. I had made it halfway down the wooden steps before I realized what I was missing. My new car keys. I turned around just in time to see my dad toss those shiny metal pieces of freedom towards me. I caught them and threw my bag into the passenger side of the car and hopped into the cool leather seat. Putting the key into the ignition and cranking it up, I heard the low purr of the engine and I couldn't help but giggle and give a little squeal of happiness.

I slowly backed out of the driveway and yelled how much I loved my dad to the world. I was so excited to have my very own car, let alone a car this amazing. My dad really had no idea how much this meant to me. I'd gotten my driver's license when I was almost 16 but I just took the bus to school since we were so close to the school. Now that we lived on the outskirts of town it was nice that I wouldn't have to take my bicycle to school. I turned on the radio and tuned it to my favorite station. This was literally the best day of my life.


	5. Chapter 5

When I pulled up to the school I found a parking spot near the field. There were a lot of people here. They were littering the field and the front section of the school. Backpacks, sweatshirts, and a couple of blankets were strewn about with people sitting on them, talking and laughing as more of their friends came off the busses or out of their cars to join them. I was still sitting in my car waiting for the first day jitters to calm themselves enough so I could get to my first class. My dad had printed me a class schedule and a map yesterday so that I wouldn't get lost… he also color coded all my classrooms and my routes so that I'd know when to go where. He even marked the lunch room with a giant purple smiley face and wrote "Make some friends today" underneath it. I could literally put up with anything he did that was embarrassing from now on because this car made up for everything that has or will happen. I took one last breath to calm my nerves and opened the door to my car.

And immediately ran straight into someone. He was tall and tan, and his jaw was slightly crooked… giving him a slightly stupefied look as he stepped out of the old beat up jeep.

"I'm so sorry," we both blurted out at the same time. I smiled and stuck out my hand with a twisted smirk. "I'm new. My dad and I just moved in just outside the city lines." He took my hand and shook it with a slack look on his face. He still hadn't said anything and I just nodded and started walking towards the back of my car when I ran into yet another tall person. By now my face was super red and I just looked down at the ground and a pair of sneakered feet. I took a deep breath and looked up at his face… good lord was he cute…I was stymied. His parent's must've been illegally hot to make a baby like that. It was hard to find something to say… I just sat there with my mouth gaping like a fish out of water, my face turning redder by the second.

"Hey… sorry about that. You ok?"

I still couldn't answer. It was like he was sucking all the wit and humor I usually had right out of me. I actually started panicking… what was I going to do? I couldn't just stand there. And so I decided I wouldn't. I walked off with my head tucked down and my hands firmly wrapped around the strap of my messenger bag. I walked into the building and bee-lined for my first class. I felt like it was my first day of high school all over again. I felt embarrassed, it wasn't like I'd never talked to boys before… I'd just never seen one that… perfect. In an odd kind of way.

I found a seat in my first class and groaned… algebra… it was the beginning of my junior year and my first class every day would be algebra…well, maybe I had done something that I'd needed punishing for. Oh well.

The hour was drawn out over what seemed like forever. I sat there and tapped my pencil against the desk, waiting for the bell to ring and send me off to my next class. Finally I was so annoyed with algebra that I simply closed my books and glared at the clock above the door. Every single second that ticked by seemed to slow down and take forever. I felt drowsy and my eyes started to droop, when suddenly the bell rang and my head snapped up from the desk. Finally the class was over and I could move on to the next class. With a quick look at my schedule, the next class was biology… they taught biology in junior year here? Awesome! My dad must've got me into a few science classes hoping I would head into a job like him. He always told my mom I'd be a brilliant surgeon. I had always had steady hands and I'd never been squeamish, from painting toenails to picking a squirrel out from my dad's rims when he hit it on the drive home from work.

So biology it was. It looked like it was down the same hallway as my first class. I had this and one more class before I could finally take a break and go to lunch… my IPod was sitting in the inside pouch of my bag, waiting for me to plug it in and rock out for a solid hour. I lived for my music. There was nothing more important to me.

I walked into the class and found myself a seat near the windows in the classroom. It was a two person table and I waited as the rest of the class filtered in. I had already pulled out my book and was beginning to read the introduction out of boredom. A couple of people payed way too much attention to me when they walked in. after all I was the new girl and I was far more noticeable since the first hour of their days had been spent half asleep. The teacher was sitting at his desk and I immediately thought he was annoying. He dressed like an oxford professor and had these thin wire rimmed glasses with a hair do that said "Hey look at me! I'm an asshole." He set his books down and started writing things on the board, probably something to do with today's lesson. That's when I saw them. The two boys from earlier. They came through the door together. The tall tan one looked worried about something. His eyes kept shifting around the room. I watched as he was whispering to the other boy… good lord he was gorgeous. And they were now both staring at me… the tan on smirked momentarily and ran to the only other spot in the class room… other than the one next to me. I wasn't sure what the whole deal was with those two, but as the boy approached me, I ducked my head and stared intensely at the book in front of me. Looked like today was going to be a long day sitting next to the guy that made me so nervous my hands shook.

The teacher droned on and on about ridiculous things that most people should already know about the human anatomy and whatnot. I'm not really sure. I couldn't help but be distracted by the living breathing human next to me. The worst part was that he kept looking at me. Every time he did, I felt like my face lit up like a torch. It was useless trying to do anything today if this was how it was going to be. I couldn't concentrate at all. What was I going to do? This was really going to make my first day hard if I couldn't concentrate long enough to hear what the homework would be.

And then with a crash reality hit me in the stomach. The teacher had been standing in front of me with his arms crossed and his foot tapping. I looked up slowly and smiled, trying to contain my panic.

"New girl. I was wondering when I'd get the chance to pick your brain. Since you've seen fit to ignore most of my lecture today perhaps you'll do better with a first day pop quiz." He smirked in a way that made me want to hit him. I looked down at my book and closed it carefully before looking back up at him and nodding.

"Alright, what is Cyclin?" this one was easy.

"It's a protein that regulates the cell cycle." I confidently stated. He turned away from me and nodded his head.

"Good. You've read the intro to the chapter. Now answer me this. What are the stages of mitosis?" he was pacing in front of my desk and all eyes were on me.

"well, first is prophase, then metaphase, then…anaphase, and finally telophase." It took me a second but I got them all… pretty sure they were in the right order too. The teacher didn't seem impressed.

"One last question. What is a spindle?" He stopped in front of my desk again and peered at me over his glasses. Oh boy. My immediate thought was sleeping beauty and the spinning wheel… but I knew that it wasn't the same… spindle…spindle…spindle… dad had told me about this…

"Sometime today new girl, we don't want to be stuck here through everyone's lunch break." He drawled. I was too busy thinking to notice. I closed my eyes for a brief second and the wiki page I looked up this summer scrolled through my head.

"It is a spindle-shaped structure that develops outside the nucleus during mitosis. The fibers that constitute the mitoticspindle pull the chromatids apart toward opposite poles." I recited from memory.

The teacher stared at me oddly. "Well alright then. I suppose if you know all these questions you won't mind if I up the homework load for this evening then. Should be a breeze for someone of your…" His eyes swept over me in a disgusting way." Caliber." He walked back to the board and everyone in the room groaned audibly. A few people shot me dirty looks. Maybe I shouldn't have answered all his questions correctly. It made me look like a show off and clearly it didn't gain favor with him… I told myself to consider this a learning experience and that I'd never let it happen again. I buried my face in my biology book to avoid the death glares I was receiving from almost every student in the room. By the end of that period I was absolutely ready to die. When the bell rang I bolted from my seat as if it had an electric current running through it. I ran into the hallway and shoved my headphones in my ears and cranked up the music that would keep me from having a meltdown during lunch.

I walked down the hall towards the lunch room but was jolted out of my musical happiness by a strong grip on my shoulder. I spun around ready to lash out at the offender when I stopped suddenly. It was my lab partner… the cute one with the kind of goofy face… his mouth was moving but I couldn't hear him, and it took me a second to realize that it was because my headphones were still turned up to impossible levels. He had a notebook held out to me… my note book. With my name scrawled on it in big green letters.

As far as first days went… this one was turning out to be quite the doozey.


	6. Chapter 6

_I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's been following this story. I've been suffering from writers block for a few months and it's been almost impossible to get a good idea onto paper. If anyone has any ideas for what they'd like to see develop please review and comment. As an author nothing makes me happier than reading all your lovely notes. =)_

I carefully removed my headphones from my ears and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I literally didn't hear a word you said." My feet shuffled closer together. He half chuckled and pushed my notebook towards me.

"I said, you left this in class Cinderella. Ya know… instead of a shoe you left your… yeah you get it." He trailed off as I raised my eyebrow and reached for my book. He re-adjusted his backpack and picked at the nails on his opposite hand absently. I wondered if he was aware of what he was doing. He seemed to be searching for something to say.

"Well I'm…"

"Are you…"

We started at the same time and interrupted one another. I closed my mouth so as not to be rude, but he smiled and said, "No, you first."

"I was just on my way to scout for a good hiding place." I said, pulling my lunch out of my messenger bag. He nodded and started to walk backwards.

"I guess I'll see you around right? I mean, we have class together so yeah… Oh! Don't go in the woods, people get caught hanging out in there all the time. Try the bleachers out in the field." He smiled at me before turning away and heading off in the opposite direction. I put my headphones back in and shoved my notebook in my bag. Bleachers huh? Sounded like a good idea. my dad and I were the same. We liked to have a little place to call our own when were at work or school. Mom would tell me stories about how she'd find him studying out in his car after he got home. We both believed that home was for home things and that if you were going to work you should do it at work. My dad has an office now, and I always found a good place to be after school so I could do my homework and then head home. It's nice keeping them separate.

I ate my sandwich as I walked through the hall towards the gym and ultimately the door leading to the field. My map was proving to be pretty handy today. I skipped through my playlist before finally finding a song I liked then headed outside into the still warm sunshine. I let the warm yellow rays fall over my face and breathed in the clean air. This had to be the closest to paradise as a teen could get. I pulled my camera out of my bag and took a wide angle shot of just the tops of the trees across the field. The yellow sun blackened out the trees and made the sky beyond a perfect shade of light blue.

I put my camera away and headed towards the bleachers. Here and there were a few groups of students sitting around and talking to each other. I headed to the far end of the field, I noticed a deserted area and beelined for it before anyone else got in the way. Then I climbed the bleachers all the way to the top and sat down. It was more open than I'd liked, but it seemed that all the other students didn't come this far out away from the buildings. This would do for now, but once winter set in I'd have to find something indoors. I was pretty sure it would be hard doing homework when it's snowing all over your paper. Before I was ready the school bell rang and it was time to head to class. I hurried in with the other students and headed for the next round of torture. The day passed with little to no outbreaks of awkward on my part and everything seemed to be just fine. I had a lot of introductory reading to do tonight so I headed for my car after the last class of the day was over. The sun was still out and I rolled down my windows and enjoyed the sun on my skin as I finished my reading for the night. In our English lit class we were reading the Norton Anthology of English Literature. I'd never even heard of it but apparently it had some of the most revered writers of the century within its pages. I certainly hoped it was more fun than my last school. My old English teacher forced us to read popular books from new age authors. Once she even threatened us with twilight… I never forgave her for that. It's not that I hated it, I just felt that it had no place in a class room.

A knock on my window made me jump and look up with a sullen expression. I hated being interrupted and the adrenaline in my system didn't make me happy at all. I was extremely jumpy today for some reason. The knock was from some kid with blonde hair. I rolled down the window and he leaned towards me with an incredibly toothy grin. Like… model gorgeous.

Something was wrong with him. When I felt his eyes connect with mine I knew. His gaze sent a warning through my very nerves.

"Hey, this is a sick car. How'd you manage to get it?" he leaned his arms inside the window and looked around the inside of my new car. He took a deep breath in and smiled again.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked. He was seriously creeping on me.

"Oh sorry, My name's Aiden, This is my brother Ethan." He pointed over his shoulder to another tall model gorgeous guy standing just behind him. Twins. I knew they were trouble. "We're just wondering why you were sitting here. Alone." His voice held a note of curiosity… with an undertone of threat. He obviously didn't want me here for some reason and he wanted me to know that I was in the losing position before the fight even started…

But that didn't mean I wasn't going to try.


	7. Chapter 7

_Yes I am completely aware that Aiden died. But this is my story and I refuse to let one small detail of living or dead ruin my dreams! Lol. Anyway, thanks for the great reviews you guys. It's really uplifting to see some encouragement. There was a time when I wasn't sure if anyone was actually reading my stories. It was kinda depressing actually. Also feel free to read some of my other stories as well. They need a little more attention. HAHA! Thanks dears!_

I could feel a cold sensation slipping down my spine and through my shoulders. My first day and this guy was already trying to push me around. He didn't even know my name! as calmly as I could I smiled and replied to him.

" Oh… I was unaware that after a certain time this public parking area belonged to you. But since I'm still here, would you mind letting me finish my homework? I don't want to fall behind." I sounded so fake it actually hurt my pride. I could practically feel his patience being tested.

"Look, I get you're the new kid. But I don't like to be tested. Now you can either take your car and go, or I can give it a new paint job." Threatening me was one thing, but my car was a whole other story. I couldn't afford any damage to this car and it would kill me if I got a scratch over something so trivial as pride.

"Fine. You win! This time. But would it have killed you to say please?!" I turned the key in the ignition and practically danced in my seat when I saw his jaw muscles tick with the effort it took to stay calm. I pulled carefully out of the parking spot and shot a dirty glance at his twin standing a few feet away before flipping them the bird and driving away. I was used to being ignored on my first day and somehow I couldn't even accomplish that one small task today.

That night my dad brought home Chinese takeout from our new favorite restaurant in town and we talked about our days. He'd had a pleasant conversation with a couple of the nurses in his wing of the hospital and I couldn't help but rib him for it. It had been years since mom passed and I really hoped that someday he'd find someone else to take care of him. But he seemed intent with just me. I was terrified that someday he'd be left alone. I'd even signed him up on a dating site a year ago, but he never remembered the password. When he asked me about my day at school I told him about everything that went well, including the cute boy that I had missed the name of. He waggled his eyebrows at me and I practically spurted noodles through my nose.

"What?!" I said defensively, wiping chow mien off my face.

"Well if I have to look for a girlfriend shouldn't you look for a boyfriend?" he smiled over his general tso's chicken and I wanted to reach over and dump it in his lap.

"Aren't you supposed to tell me that boys are bad and that I'm too young to be having sex?" I timed it perfectly and he choked on his rice.

"So how did the car handle? You'll let me drive it sometime right? Hah… hah." He changed the subject quickly. My mind flashed back to the scene with the twins in the parking lot today and my narrow escape from insurance hell.

"She drives like a dream. Get's me a lot of attention at school too." I added the last part in a half whisper. He nodded in a knowing way. After that we were relatively quiet and I put away the leftover food when we were done eating. I was so tired that I went straight up to bed after the kitchen was clean and fell on my bed, not bothering with pajamas or anything. As my eyes fluttered closed I could swear I drifted off to the sound of someone singing.

The next morning I woke up with the sun dappling across my face at 6 in the morning. Thank god for my automatic alarm clock I thought begrudgingly. No matter what I always woke up at 6 AM. First things first, Start the coffee, brush my teeth, pull out the cereal, get dressed, and then eat. It was the same every morning. My dad called me his kitchen elf. The coffee would always be ready for him in the morning and we both loved Cap'n Crunch so that was easy. The only thing that really varied from day to day was the kind of music I'd listen to when getting ready. Today was some really nifty music box type stuff. I think it was called Nattoppet… I don't actually know. I got it from youtube so whatever. It was uplifting and bouncy. I kept bouncing up onto my toes as I went from chore to chore. My dad was in the kitchen when I brought my school stuff down from my room. He'd already finished his bowl of cereal and was sipping his coffee before he'd have to head off to work for the day.

"Hey dad, good morning," I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek just like mom used to. He mumbled and read the newspaper. Despite being a doctor and having to be to work early in the morning, he really wasn't a morning person. Neither was I, but I could fake it pretty well.

The rest of the morning passed in what resembled silence, a few words of acknowledgement from either him or me before we said goodbye for the day and he headed off to work. I grabbed my coat from the hook by the door and stepped outside into the brisk air. It was already starting to get colder. I could see my breath in the crisp morning air. It was clean and calming here, not like the city we were living in before. I locked the door and set the alarm system my dad had installed and bounded down to my car. She sparkled in the sunlight as if telling me good morning. I had high hopes for the day.

Today would technically be my second day of school.

But it would be my first day living.


	8. Chapter 8

_Once again you guys astound me! Thanks so much for reading this! It's one of my favorite things to write about and it's also my most popular story on this site. I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks_

I sat in my car outside the school sipping the cup of pure awesome I'd ordered from the Starbucks that morning. Today I left my big camera at home so I wouldn't be weighed down. I was almost ready to get out of my car, when a familiar banged up blue Jeep pulled into the spot directly next to me. I was torn, get out and face another embarrassing morning? Or stay in the car and stare like an idiot? Neither was a very good plan… so I picked the lesser of two evils and stepped out of my car carefully cradling my coffee to my chest when I lifted my bag from the passenger seat. I was determined not to make myself look like an idiot yet, that could come later on in the day. I walked towards the door of the school with my head held high and heard him call out to me.

"Hey! Wait up!" I felt my cheeks flush and I turned around to look at him. But both him and his friend walked right past me and went for two girls standing at the top of the stairs. I knew it! He had a girlfriend! One of them was slender and asian, with long dark hair that reached under her shoulder blades. Her wide eyes were curved up when she smiled at them. The girl standing next to her was a redhead. Ridiculously pretty and was wearing a cream colored shirt with a flowered peach skirt over leggings and a pair of high heeled boots that I wish I could've worn. Somehow I knew I had no real chance with anyone at this school. Dressed in a light blue baseball tee and a suit vest with jeans and a beat up pair of black and white checkered converse, there was no way. It's not like I didn't know how to dress well, it's just that I hated to buy name brand things at name brand price. Yeah my dad was a neuro surgeon, but if we didn't budget and save money there was no way I'd get into college… EVER. I had a small twinge of guilt over my new car, I didn't even want to think about how expensive it had been.

I continued up the stairs with my chin down, my hair falling forward to cover my face at the sides and I went straight to my algebra class. Most of the day passed in the same way. I was quiet and kept to myself during lunch and shortly after that the weather turned windy and wet. The sky became a concrete gray and students fled the outdoor areas before the impending rain managed to catch them. It wasn't until my English class that I realized someone was staring at me. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Didn't they know I could feel that? It was like being pressed down by gravity. I waited until the teacher was writing on the board to turn around and look at the other students. Most of them were staring at the large clock above the door or out the window at the rain… except of course the twins. They were in this class? I hadn't noticed them yesterday…. Crap. That sucked… they were seated side by side in the back of the class, both staring at me. As I watched them, the one on the left raised his eyebrow and smiled in a sympathetic way, but the other one simply glared at me. As I turned around his eyes flashed a cold shade of bright blue… I stopped dead. I swore his eyes glowed for a second. There was no other explanation… unless…

Was my invisible friend playing tricks on me again? Well he picked a hell of a time. I turned back towards the board but I didn't hear another word the teacher said. A cold sweat had set in and my skin was now crawling from both the twins' staring and the thought that I could be degenerating this early in my life. All the documented cases of my disease said symptoms started around the late teens and no one lived past about 30… my mom had almost made it to 40. She was a slow progressing case though… my head snapped up and I nearly jumped out of my skin when the bell rang to signal the end of the school day. I waited for everyone else to leave before I stood up, straightening my shirt and trying to pretend that my knees didn't feel wobbly.

The English teacher stopped me before I left through the open door.

"Are you alright? You look a bit pale." Maybe you should see the nurse before you leave for the day. I nodded and headed towards the office. I figured it couldn't hurt, maybe I just caught an early cold or something. Maybe the glow in his eyes was a reflection from the stormy light through the window. I went by the nurses office and waited for her to see to her other student. Apparently one of the lacrosse players had roughed him up. I saw his cleats under the curtain separating the back area from the office. There were muddy tracks into the room with an occasional drip or two of blood. I guessed it to be either a nose bleed or something else small like that.

I was just about to get up and leave when she came back out around the curtain, mopping the blood and muddy footprints off the floor. She straightened up when she saw me and smiled.

"Well come on in, no use waiting out there." She said a little annoyed. I walked in the door and she immediately pressed her hand to my forehead. I just froze and looked around… I guessed she'd been doing this for a while.

"No cough, no fever. Just tired then eh? You look like you could use more sleep." She muttered and wrote something down in a large book on her desk.

I just sort of stood there quietly, regretting my decision to come here in the first place. I was fine and nothing was going wrong yet. I scowled down at the floor, hating the fear that was always weighing on my mind.

"Do you want me to call your parent's?" the nurse was looking at me as though I may puke green pea soup and my head might start spinning around. I shook my head and thanked her turning to leave when I ran headlong into someone standing right behind me. Our heads knocked together and I heard a curse as we both recovered from the recoil. I looked up to see HIM. He was holding his nose and blood was dripping slowly down his arm.

"OH my god are you ok?!" he was the one bleeding but apparently he was more worried about me. I could already feel the headache forming where we'd collided.

"Yeah no I'm fine. Are you ok? You look like you need a tissue…" smooth… god why did I suck so much! Really? A tissue? Great job…

"Yeah, you're pretty hard headed, but I think I'll live." He shrugged, tilting his head back and swallowing hard. One of his eyes were closed tightly and he was wearing the scool sports uniform…

"You play sports?" I asked as the nurse shook a box of tissue at him.

"Yeah. Well, kinda. I mean I'm on the team… but I don't… Yeah. I'm on the lacrosse team." He shrugged his shoulders a lot when he talked. It was like he was trying to play it cool and failed. I couldn't help but crack a smile. He smiled back and we went and sat in the waiting room area. We talked until the blood stopped flowing and he stood to head back to the locker rooms.

"So, What did you say your name was again?" he asked, his fingers picking at the cuticle of his thumb.

"I'm Devin. It's really nice to meet you…" I waited for him to fill in my blank on his name.

"Call me stiles. Everyone does." I waved goodbye as we separated and headed off in the direction of the parking lot. I smiled to myself as I got into my car.

Maybe he was just as human as I was.


	9. Chapter 9

_Once again I come to you begging for more comments, favorites, and reviews. As a writer I live to be critiqued and praised. Please tell me what you liked or didn't like about the story thus far and I can successfully direct the progression of events in a favorable manner!_

The weeks had flown by and already we were getting ready for Halloween. The leaves had fallen off the trees surrounding our house and we raked them into small piles on our front lawn, sticking out little plastic tombstones that my dad had bought off the internet. Our house was a little ways away from most other people, so it was unlikely that we would get any trick-or-treaters, but I was going to ask a few people if they'd like to come hang out since my dad had to work that night. He said he'd take the extra night shift in the ER considering there were plenty of stupid teenagers in this town and they always seemed to get their hands on booze somehow. Nothing big, just a couple friends that I had made since the start of the school year. There was Scott and his girlfriend, Lydia Martin the apparent goddess of fashion in the school who shared my love of scientific research, Danny from the Lacrosse team and his +1, and of course Stiles. I figured out that there wasn't anything going on between him and Lydia about 2 weeks ago when I was sitting at the Starbucks on a Saturday finishing up my science report about covalent bonds.

_**Flash Back**_

I was listening to the newest Album from Lindsey Stirling and sipping a caramel macchiato with extra whip cream when she came over and tapped me on my shoulder. I started and pulled out my headphones quickly, smiling and invited her to sit with me. She asked me how I was settling into the neighbor hood and I suddenly realized what this was. A girl who seemed like she would otherwise never speak to me was being nice and trying to strike up conversation… she could see I had the hots for her boyfriend. My palms started to sweat and I decided I needed to tell her that whatever she thought was going on wasn't and that I wasn't a threat.

"Lydia? I know what you're trying to do. I just want you to know that I have no interest in getting in the way of you and stiles. I just want to be friends ok?" I said keeping my eyes glued to her face, waiting for her reaction. She blinked shocked… and then she burst out laughing? Well that really wasn't what I was expecting…

"Oh! OH my god. Stiles isn't my boyfriend. If that's what you thought this was about then maybe you're not as smart as I thought you were. So let's say we forget that little outburst and start over okay?" her face was red and she was smiling from ear to ear. I must've looked like an idiot to her…

"I am so sorry…" I muttered, my face burning hotter by the minute. "I'm just gonna go hide in my homework and pretend I'm an amoeba." I smacked my head into my book on the table and she gave a very loud giggle. I smiled. Well, I guess that's one way to make a first impression.

"Can I buy you a coffee to make up for it?" I asked.

"If you're buying me a coffee then I'll give you a hand with that mess over there." She pointed to my severely eraser damaged homework. I had spent most of the day on it, but trying to make the words come out of my brain in the right sequence was incredibly hard. Not to mention all the equations for cells and other crap that was involved. I was really good with memorizing definitions and quotes, but numbers had me absolutely stumped.

From that day on we were pretty close friends, I'd hang out at her house and get help with science homework and watch her pick out clothes like she owned Gucci. And occasionally we'd go out and do stuff like, catch a movie or check out a new coffee place. Seeing as we were both addicted to the stuff it wasn't hard to please our taste in caffeine.

So it wasn't going to be a big gathering or anything. Just a few friends who would enjoy a cheesy horror remake and some snacks. And by snacks I mean a whole ton of candy. Every year my dad would buy pounds of candy from the store. It used to drive me and mom nuts because we never got rid of all of it. But now it's just another thing that we do as a family. Besides, if it's 10 am on Halloween and you don't have a stomach ache then you're not doing it right.

It was a Saturday and I sat on the porch wearing my favorite sweatshirt and ripped jeans. It was too early for a costume but if had some torn up clothes that I could make into an instant zombie if I needed them. Most of the people coming today said they would be over around 3 or 4, but Stiles and Scott said they could be over by noon. So here I was, sitting there waiting… and clearly not caring that it was still 10 am. Despite not having any trick or treaters we still put up some decorations. There weren't many houses on our street but there was a lot of traffic so we decorated the yard with old cardboard tombstones and my dad's favorite skeleton clinked as it swung from a tree branch in the yard. I wanted to put out the lights and fog machine but that box seemed to have gotten lost in the move. My music played from my phone between my hands and I enjoyed the wind whipping about the porch. The fallen leaves skittered along like they were having a race.

As enjoyable as it was outside, I was getting cold and wanted some tea. I stood and turned, heading back into the house when my vision blurred and my legs gave way from beneath me. I fell into a crumpled heap on the porch. I took deep breaths and kept the panic at bay. This would pass and I'd get back up and go on with my life. But in truth I was terrified. This had never happened to me before and I didn't know what to expect. Slowly I could feel the strength come back to my legs and I stood up. The wind had gone completely still and everything was silent. I pushed myself up in what seemed like slow motion. The darkness around my eyes started pushing in and I felt cold, like all of the warmth was being sapped from me. I looked out at the yard and took a steadying breath.

There was a car in the road, sitting in front of my house. Maybe they had seen me fall. I waved, but the window never rolled down and the car didn't move.

"Hey!" I called out waving again. There was still no sign of life. I went down to the car and as I stepped through the leaves I saw them scatter up slightly above the ground and then hang there as if suspended. I bent down and pressed a finger to the leaf. It twisted in the air and only moved when I touched it. I picked up a handful from the ground and stood up with my arms in front of me. I closed my eyes and let the leaves go.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you so much to all you guys who placed this story on their watch list. It means everything to me that you guys enjoy my writing.i now have 21 watchers! I know! Crazy right?! If there's anything I can do to make the story better or if I __should keep the chapters coming or wrap it up. Please let me know what ya'll are thinking._

I heard nothing. I opened my right eye just a crack and saw the bundle of leaves suspended in the air. I couldn't believe what was happening. I looked around. The car was still on the street. I made my way over and peered in the passenger window. The woman in the front seat had her mouth open and she was frozen in place. I placed my hand on the window and the car shot forward stopping a foot away from its original point in the road when I snatched my hand away from it.

I was of two minds about this… either this was the coolest thing that had ever happened, or I was stuck in the twilight zone and I'd die…

A sharp pain erupted behind my eye and I doubled over with the wave of pain that crashed over me. The leaves scattered to the ground and the car sped off down the road. I could hear the wind and the skeleton bumping like macabre wind chimes. I could hear the leaves rustle over the grass and the dripping of blood as it hit the pavement.

Back inside the house I sat with my head leaning back against the pillows and stockpile of bloody tissues sitting next to me. The deluge was beginning to lighten up but this was by far the worst nosebleed I had ever gotten. I sat on my bed for a good 20 minutes trying to get it to coagulate and stop bleeding. By the time I was finished I had gone through half a box of tissues and there was a knock at the door. I jumped up, startled and glanced at the clock. It was only 10:45, it wasn't likely that any of my guests would come early.

I scampered down the stairs and opened the door to see a pile of grocery bags with arms wrapped around them. A head popped up from behind them with a slightly unkempt head of hair.

"OH Hi. Lydia told me the party was starting around noon so I figured I'd come over early and help set up." He said. His grin lit up his face and an increasingly large part of my chest every time I saw it.

"Uhm... ok. Sure" I stepped to the side and let him in. I was more than a little confused… I had sent Lydia the time for the party and she said she'd take care of getting everyone there… but stiles was way too early. Had he forgotten what time it was? Or did Lydia tell him the wrong time on purpose? I just sort of blinked awkwardly as he set the groceries down on the island in the kitchen. He wiped his hands on his jeans as he turned to face me.

"So… where do we start?" he shrugged. It was oddly quiet in the house now and an uncomfortable silence had settled between us.

"I guess I could use some help with the walls. Dad usually decorates the high stuff, but he had to work so he hasn't been home much." I smiled, trying to break the tension. We put his groceries in the fridge and moved to the living room.

"Wow… you guys really go all out for the holidays huh?" he said. The living room was decorated with wax skulls and candles. Fake leaves were scattered in bunches with black and orange sparkly tinsel around them and there was a few acorns that my mother had collected lining the base of the candles. There were little tissue ghosts that I had made when I was younger floating around the ceiling attached by fishing wire and a large glass spider sat in a strike pose on the coffee table. I was pleased with the fall décor and the few pieces of Halloween I had incorporated went well. Although, I still questioned the giant black cat cutout hanging in the window.

"We like to get into the holiday spirit around here." I half giggled. "What do you normally do for Halloween?" I asked. I looked up at his face and saw an almost bittersweet smile.

"Before my mom died we'd go trick or treating with Scott and his mom. But then after a while I guess it just wasn't as shiny as it used to be." He said, looking around the room. I couldn't find the words to answer him right away.

"… When did she… When did you lose her?" I asked quietly. He took a breath and looked back at me.

"2004." I could see him mentally give himself a shake. "But that was a while ago so nobody really talks about it."

I knew when to leave well enough alone so I smiled and turned towards the kitchen. "You know you're super early right? Lydia must have given you the wrong time." I picked up a box of hanging decorations and turned back around, bumping into stiles roughly. I hadn't realized he was right behind me.

"Oh… really?" his face got redder. I raised my eyebrow and stepped to the side of him, setting the box down on the coffee table. It was filled with pop up pumpkins, cardboard skulls, and orange and black party streamers. Everything that my dad normally put up.

"Can you string these along the walls?" I asked holding up a lump of tangled skeleton lights.

We spent the next hour or so tidying up and talking about where the decorations should go as we moved a small step ladder around. I went to the kitchen to start putting snacks into bowls and serving up some food. I had just finished tipping a bag of Cheetos into a popcorn bowl when I heard a loud yelp and a clatter.

"You ok?!" I called into the other room. There was a grunt and another grinding metal sound. I peeked around the corner to see Stiles and the ladder both toppled over. He was lying on his back with his arms spread wide and an obscene amount of orange streamers covering his face.

"Stiles?" I asked coming over to where he was sprawled. He put his arm up and gave me a thumbs up before letting it fall back down with a thud. I laughed a little and pulled the streamers away from his face. He had a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"we should probably get you back on your feet." I put my hand out and he grabbed it. I helped haul him to his feet and he stood the ladder back up.

"Another daring day for Stiles Stilinski eh?" I laughed and wandered back to the kitchen.

"What? Are you Canadian now?" he shot back. I chuckled at him and just shook my head.


End file.
